Metal rafter construction for awning



Sept. 17, 1963 M. v. NOECKER METAL RAFTER CONSTRUCTION FOR AWNING Filed July 8, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet l MARSHALL V. lVOEC/(ER ATTORNEYS Se t. 17, 1963 M. v. NOECKER 3,

METAL RAFTER CONSTRUCTION FOR AWNING Filed July 8, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

MARSHALL V. Non/r5? BY 41% zwww AT TORNEYS United States Patent METAL RAFTER CUNSTRUCTIUN FOR AWNEQG Marshall V. Noecker, Grosse Pointe, Mich., assignor to Kaufman Awning (Jorporatien, Detroit, Mich. a corporation of Michigan Filed July 8, 1969, Ser. No. 41,643 3 Claims. (@Cl. 211-575) This invention relates to an improved awning construction, and more particularly, relates to an improved rafter and frame construction for stationarily supporting awning sheets.

It is common practice to cover porches, patios, etc., with awning constructions which may be either of the storable type or of the permanently mounted, non-movable type. A popular form of awning structure consists of the provision of upstanding supports upon which rafters are mounted. Awning sheets formed of suitable material, such as aluminum sheets, are mounted upon the rafters. Awnings of this type may either have a substantially flat shape in which case the rafters may be merely elongated straight beams or, under some circumstances, the awning may have a convex shape. Heretofore, it has been necessary to utilize separate rafters for these two types of awning structures. Further, in some instances, it has been necessary to utilize different rafters depending upon the length that the awning projects from the wall of the building upon which it is mounted. Moreover, prior rafters for use with this type of awning structure have been relatively expensive because they are frequently custom manufactured to meet the requirements of a particular installation. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that prior awning constructions, particularly as regards the support and rafter structure therefor, have not been completely satisfactory.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved awning construction, particularly an improved rafter and frame construction whereby awning sheets may be stationarily supported thereby.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved awning construction, as aforesaid, which utilizes one-piece rafters which are adapted for connection with various types and shapes of supports so that they may be used either to support a flat or convex awning sheet.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved awning construction, as aforesaid, in which the rafter has a standard cross-sectional size regardless of the length the awning projects from the building and, therefore, the only modification thereof required to suit a particular installation is to cut same to the appropriate length.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved rafter structure which can be inexpensively manufactured by high-production, low-cost manufacturing techniques.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved awning construction, as aforesaid, which is strong and durable and which may be rapidly and inexpensively installed by unskilled personnel.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those acquainted with equipment of this type upon reviewing the following disclosure and inspecting the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a partially broken away, oblique view of an awning construction of the type to which the invention relates.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIGURE 1 with parts thereof partially broken away.

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FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along the line IIIIII of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional View taken along the line rv-1v of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 showing a curved rafter construction.

FIGURE 6 is a central view through the curved rafter construction of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken along the line VII---VII of FIGURE 5. FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken along the line VIIIVIII of FIGURE 6.

General Description In general, the invention provides an awning structure in which the awning sheets are supported upon transversely spaced rafters. Each of the rafters is tubular and is of substantially rectangular shape. One end of the rafter is receivable between the legs of a substantially channel-shaped bracket which is also provided with mounting flanges whereby it may be mounted upon a wall of the building. The other end of the rafter can be either received within a similarly shaped bracket secured to the front frame structure or, alternatively, it may be cut away for connection to a square, arcuately-shaped tube which is receivable within the rafter. Thus, the rafter may be used with either substantially fiat or convex awnings and it may be used with awnings of different length merely by cutting the rafter to the appropriate length.

Detailed Description Referring to FIGURE 1, there is illustrated the general form of awning structure It) to which the invention relates. The awning structure 10 includes a plurality of support posts 11, 12 and 13 which are adapted to be supported upon a suitable support such as the ground. A front frame structure 15 is supported upon the posts 11, 12 and 13 and a plurality of rafters 16 are mounted at their lower ends upon the front frame 15 and extend upwardly therefrom. The upper, rearward ends of the rafters 16 may be connected to a suitable support, such as the wall of the building. A cover 17 of any suitable construction, such as that disclosed in copending applications Serial Nos. 138,718 and 138,907, both filed September 18, 1961, and assigned to the assignee of this invention, are mounted upon the rafters 16. The cover 17 may be either substantially flat as shown or it may be convexly curved, as desired. An end sheet 18 is secured to each end of the awning structure to cover the ends thereof while a decorative front sheet 19 is secured to the front frame structure 15.

As shown in FIGURE 4, each of the rafters 16 is tubular and substantially rectangular in cross section. The side walls 21 and 22 of the rafter 16 have two pairs of indented portions 23 and 24 adjacent the upper and lower ends thereof, respectively. Theindented portions 23 and 24 serve to strengthen the rafter against collapse and, further, make it easier to slide the rafter into and out of the brackets as will be described in detail hereinbelow. The rafter 16 is formed of a suitable material, desirably aluminum, and while the rafter 16 may be formed by extrusion techniques, in the preferred embodiment of the invention disclosed in the drawings the rafter is formed by roll forming a flat sheet to the appropriate shape and interlocking the edges of the sheet as indicated at 26. The upper wall 27 of the rafter 16 on which the awning cover sheets are mounted is one of the walls of minor dimension while the longer walls are received within the mounting brackets as will be described hereinbelow since this will provide a greater strength for the assembled structure under loads, such as snow or wind loads, applied on the cover 17.

The upper end of the rafter is received within a bracket 31. The bracket is substantially channel shaped and includes a pair of substantially parallel legs 32 and 33 which are connected by a transversely extending web 34. Extensions 36 and 37 extend sidewardly from the web 34 and define mounting flanges for the bracket. Openings for fasteners are provided in the extensions 36 and 37 whereby fastening means 30 may be extended therethrough to secure same to a suitable support, such as the wall W of the building. Similar openings are provided through the legs 32 and 33 and fastening means 35 extend therethrough to secure same to the rafter 16.

Initially the legs 32 and 33 may have a slight convergence toward the free ends thereof but the legs are otherwise spaced from each other a sufiicient distance that the non-offset portions of the side walls 21 and 22 of the rafter 16 can closely, slidably fit therebetween. Thus, to fit the rafter between the legs 32 and 33, the free ends of the legs 32 and 33 may be slightly sprung apart and the rafter 16 then slid therebetween. The legs 32 and 33 firmly but releasably grip the end of the rafter 16 received therebetween. This provides a temporary support for the rafter 16 during assembly thereof. After the rafter is mounted in this fashion, the fastening means 35 may be extended through the openings in the legs 32 and 33 to effect a relatively permanent connection therebetween.

Referring to the form of the invention shown in FIG- URE 2 wherein the rafter 16 is substantially straight, the lower, outer end of the rafter 16 is received within a bracket 38 which is similar to the bracket 31 previously described. The bracket 38 is secured to two, vertically spaced, horizontally extending tubular members 39 and 41 which are part of the front frame structure 15 of the awning construction. The frame structure also includes a plurality of vertically extending tubular spacers 42.

Referring to FIGURES through 7, there is shown an embodiment of the invention which is adapted for supporting a convex awning cover sheet. The rafter 16 is connected to a bracket 31 at its upper end in the same manner as in the previously described embodiment of the invention. However, in this embodiment, the front frame structure includes not only the horizontally extending tubular members 39 and 41 and the vertically extending tubular spacer 42 but includes a further, square, tubular member 43 which extends upwardly from the upper member 41 and which is curved toward the upper, inner end of the rafter 16 through an arc of usually less than about 90 degrees. A bracket structure 44 is provided to secure the member 43 to the front frame and includes a U-shaped upper portion consisting of two upper spaced legs 45 and 46 connected by a web 47. The legs 45 and 46 are secured to the tubular member 43 by fastening means 48. The lower portion is also U-shaped and consists of two legs, of which one is shown at 49, which partially embrace the vertical spacer tube 42 and are secured thereto by fastening means, of which one appears at 51. The web 47 is common to both U-shaped portions and thus, the square tubular member 43 is prevented from moving upwardly or sidewardly along the front frame 15.

Referring to FIGURE 6, the lower wall of the rafter 16 has a cut-away portion 52 therein adjacent its outer, lower end and the curved, square tubular member 43 extends through said cut-away portion. The side walls 21 and 22 of the rafter 16 are shaped so that they have a. curvature corresponding to the curvature of the member 43 and the upper edge of said side walls 21 and 22 and the upper surface of member 43 are coplanar through the arcuate portion thereof. The side walls 56 and 57 of the member 43 closely, slidably fit between the side walls 21 and 22 of the rafter 16.

The upper wall 59 of the member 43 terminates at 55 where the curvature of member 43 ends and abuts against the end of the upper wall 27 of the rafter 16. The side walls 56 and 57 and the bottom wall 61 of the member 43 extend therebeyond and are received within the substantially rectangular portion of the rafter 16. Fastening means extend through the side walls 21 and 22 of the rafter 16 and secure same to the side walls 56 and 57 of the member 43. This provides a relatively strong and durable construction and a rigid mounting for the member 43 within the rafter.

Assembly In assembly of the embodiment shown in FIGURES 14, the bracket 31 will be secured to a suitable support, such as the frame of the building and then the rafter 16 will be inserted between the legs 32 and 33 thereof. As pointed out above, such will require a slight spreading apart of the legs with respect to each other and the legs will then tightly grip the side walls 21 and 22 of the rafter and provide a temporary support therefor. When it is desired to permanently attach the rafter to the bracket, the fastening means 35 are extended through the openings in the legs 32 and 33. The other end of the rafter 16 will be connected to the bracket 38 in similar fashion. Ordinarily, the bracket 38 will have been previously attached to the front frame structure 15. The cover 17 may then be attached to the rafters in the manner as described in either application Serial No. 138,718 or application Serial No. 138,907. The end sheets 18 and the front sheet 19 are then secured to the frame in any desired, convenient fashion.

Assembly of the embodiment shown in FIGURES 5 through 7 will proceed in generally similar fashion except that here the curved, square tubular member 43 will be secured to the outer, lower end of the rafter 16 which will have been cut away previously so that it is of the proper shape. The member 43 will then be secured to the front frame structure 15 by use of the bracket 44.

It will be observed that the rafter for either the straight or the curved embodiment of the invention will be substantially rectangular in form. The rafter can be formed by roll forming or extrusion techniques in any suitable desired length for convenient storage and handling. When it is desired to make a particular installation, the rafter 16 will be cut to the appropriate length. Where a convexly shaped awning is to be installed, it will be necessary to cut away portions of the rafter to provide the arcuately shaped side walls and the cut-away portions in the bottom and top walls thereof for receiving the member 43. For most installations, this curvature will be the same and therefore a suitable template for this purpose can readily be provided. Thus, a single type and size of rafter is adapted for use with awning structures of various lengths and for either flat or convex awnings as may be desired or required.

The assembly techniques utilized in assembling the structure involves no more than can be performed by relatively unskilled personnel and, thus, installation is rapid and relatively inexpensive.

While particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been described hereinabove, the invention contemplates such changes or modifications therein as lie within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An awning construction, comprising: an elongated, one-piece, tubular, rectangular rafter; a channel-shaped bracket having parallel legs between which one end of the rafter is closely slidably fitted and to which said one end is secured; said bracket having a web extending transversely between said legs and having extensions of either side thereof defining mounting flanges whereby said bracket may be mounted on the wall of a building; a front frame structure including an upwardly extending, tubular substantially square member which is curved through an arc of less than about degrees toward the first-mentioned end of said rafter, the other end of said rafter having cut-away portions in the top and bottom walls thereof and having the side walls thereof cut away so that they have the same curvature as said square member; said square member closely slidably fitting between said side walls and extending into said rafter to a point Where said rafter has resumed its rectangular cross section; means securing said side walls to said square mem ber; and awning sheet means mounted on the upper surface of said rafter and said square member.

2. An awning structure, comprising: an elongated, onepiece, tubular, rectangular rafter; a front frame structure including upwardly extending means whose upper edge is curved through an arc of less than about 90 degrees toward one end of said rafter, and the other end of the rafter being cut so that the upper edges of its side Walls have a curvature substantially corresponding to that of said upwardly extending means, said other end of said rafter being interfitted with and being secured to said upwardly extending means with said upper edges being 20 flush with each other; and awning sheet means mounted on said rafter.

3. In an awning construction, the combination comprising: a substantially rectangular, elongated, tubular,

thin-walled rafter comprised of a single sheet of material, the adjacent lengthwise edges of said sheet being overlapped and interlocked and being located within said rafter adjacent to one side wall thereof; bracket means for supporting one end of said rafter, said bracket means having mounting flanges which closely slidably engage the side walls of said rafter; means securing said rafter to said bracket means; means for supporting the other end of said rafter, said last-named means including an upwardly extending member whose upper edge is curved through an arc of less than about 90 degrees, the upper end of said member being telescopically received within said other end of said rafter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,665,782 Hanna Apr. 10, 1928 2,723,732 Pettersen Nov. 15, 1955 2,847,728 Shinall Aug. 19, 1958 2,990,590 Graveley July 4, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 592,242 Germany Feb. 3, 1934 

2. AN AWNING STRUCTURE, COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED, ONEPIECE, TUBULAR, RECTANGULAR RAFTER; A FRONT FRAME STRUCTURE INCLUDING UPWARDLY EXTENDING MEANS WHOSE UPPER EDGE IS CURVED THROUGH AN ARC OF LESS THAN ABOUT 90* TOWARD ONE END OF SAID RAFTER, AND THE OTHER END OF THE RAFTER BEING CUT SO THAT THE UPPER EDGES OF ITS SIDE WALLS HAVE A CURVATURE SUBSTANTIALLY CORRESPONDING TO THAT OF SAID UPWARDLY EXTENDING MEANS, SAID OTHER END OF SAID RAFTER BEING INTERFITTED WITH AND BEING SECURED TO SAID UPWARDLY EXTENDING MEANS WITH SAID UPPER EDGES BEING FLUSH WITH EACH OTHER; AND AWNING SHEET MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID RAFTER. 